Archaeological work for Honolulu rail project ahead of schedule

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit's (HART) archaeological inventory survey work for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project is ahead of schedule and all fieldwork is now slated for completion in early December.

As of November 15, HART had 27 trenches left to excavate as part of the archaeological work, having completed 205 of 232 trenches in the city center portion of the rail route between Middle Street in Kalihi and Ala Moana Center. Another 166 archaeological trenches were completed earlier along the route between East Kapolei and Middle Street.

"In addition to completing the archaeological work ahead of schedule, our cultural monitoring program is also going well. The monitors, who include descendants with ties to the area, are watching over all of the trenching work to ensure it is being done correctly," CEO and executive director Dan Grabauskas said.

When the fieldwork is completed, an extensive archaeological inventory survey report will be drafted and submitted to the State Historic Preservation Division for its approval.

"This archaeological survey is being done years in advance and provides ample time to make any necessary design changes that may be needed," Grabauskas said.